Beware of the Butterfly
by SweetNeroliRavioli
Summary: I had a normal life and I was okay with that. But when one does receive powers, especially the power to enter another dimension at any point in the past, future or present of said dimension, you can't but want to fool around and shake things up a bit. And that's exactly what this is about, this story, my story, is about changing fate, one encounter at a time.
1. Prologue

**_Hey guys, SweetNeroliRavioli again, I scrapped my first OP story because I felt it was too generic for my tastes. Hopefully, this idea is a little more creative. Well, here you go enjoy. -SNR_**

* * *

I was content with where my life was going; I was well on my way into becoming a successful writer, my family and friends loved and supported me, and I was happy. But one mild trip in curiosity later and that life had derailed into a disaster of gargantuan proportions. Now I was stuck in a place that I had once considered fiction with nothing more than an ocarina, the clothes of my back, and a literal fourth wall. Yep, you heard that last part right, a literal fourth wall.

It's like a portal, just big enough that I could squeeze through if I go in one arm at a time. I can go to any place in any given time where ever I want. All I have to do is summon it on any surface and off we go. It is an extremely useful tool, functioning much like those spots from that one villain from Spiderman, except you mix that with the shape of a square and the powers and capabilities of the TARDIS from Dr. Who and you got my fourth wall.

But enough of that.

You just want to get to the part where I use it to cause mayhem throughout the dimensions. However I do think that introductions, at the least, are in order:

Lux Nuru Jakande, age seventeen, aspiring writer. A pleasure to meet you and I'm sure you're itching to know exactly what my story entails but first, I will tell you this; Wealth. Fame. Power. These were the three words used to describe Gold Roger, King of the Pirates.

See where I'm going with this?

Well, my dear reader, you're in for a treat, so sit back and enjoy the ride, as I tell you about fantastical misadventures in the magnificent world dreamed up by the one, the only, Oda-sensei.

One Piece.

* * *

"Oi, who the hell are you?" The green haired swordsman demanded, hand hovering above the three swords fixed to his sash, poised to draw them at any sign of a threat, geared up to defend his nakama and the ship if necessary. He had taken a quick break from guard duty and when he got back a stranger had suddenly appeared upon the deck of the Thousand Sunny without so much a warning or sound.

The stranger stared back at him, amused expression upon their lips. Their gender was indistinguishable; facial features both androgynous and pleasing to the eyes: sporting a diamond shaped face, straight nose, full lips, round, honey brown eyes, and long eyelashes. Their hair jet black and naturally fluffy and wild; much like a dandelion's or a loose nod to its namesakes proud mane. The man knew they wouldn't be that much of a challenge to take down, judging by how skinny they were, but yet they held an air of power and knowing that set him on edge.

"Hey, I asked you a question," The man scowled, taking a step towards the mystery intruder, "Who the hell are you? And how did you get on our ship?" The stranger said nothing, opting to showing a playful grin, raising a finger to their lips and winking. Then, suddenly, they took three leaping strides and dove into the sea. "Shit!" the swordsman cursed, running over to where the person had bailed, only to find nothing; no, splash, no bubbles, no ripples, no trace that they had once been.

He waited patiently for a few minutes, seeing if they would resurface before turning to go back inside. "I really need to stop drinking booze before the night shift." He muttered to himself, shoving the experience to the back of his mind.

If only he knew...

* * *

"Hah~ That was a great nap!" The ravenette yawned, stretching his limbs. He had just departed on his adventure, his first step his dream, and after beating up that dumb fish, he thought a nap had been warranted. But never in a thousand years had he expected to wake up to find someone with him. "EEEEH!" He shouted pointing at the mystery person, "Who the heck are you!?"

The mystery person said nothing, just smiled mysteriously. "Watch for whirlpools, Luffy-san," They said, still smiling, "It would be trouble for the future Pirate King to drown on his first day at sea due to a careless nap." "Huh?" Luffy blinked, "Whirlpools? What are you talking about?" But the stranger was gone and straight ahead was giant whirlpool. "AMAZING! What a huge whirlpool! How that mystery person know about that!?" He shouted, the rocking of his boat intensifying by the second. ' _What to do what to do…'_ He thought, looking around for a solution. Spotting his empty water barrell, a wide grin broke out on his face.

He was still kind of tired, may as well take another nap.

* * *

"Nami, could you help me with these bags of tangerines please?"

"Okay!"

A little red haired girl came running up from the orchard eager to help her sister with the chores, when something or rather someone caught her eye.

There, on the furthest tree from the house, was a dark skinned stranger, happily munching on a tangerine. The little girl felt anger course through her as she ran to chew them out. "Hey!" She yelled at the random person, "You can't eat that without paying! That's Bellamere's!" The person looked down at the little girl, giving her a look of pure sympathy. Tossing a bag of money to the ground, way over the amount of one tangerine, the stranger finished their food and bowed their head. "Thank you for the food," They murmured quietly, "And tell Bellamere it was delicious."

The girl watched in amazement as the person leapt off the tree, their feet never touching the ground.

Because they had fallen straight through.

* * *

"Uwah!" The long nosed boy shouted, shakily pulling out his slingshot, "W-who's there!? I'm warning y-you I have an a-a-army of 800 m-million men at m-my disposal and I'm not a-a-afraid to use them!"

Soft laughter bubbled up from the forest, echoing and bouncing around, making it impossible to pinpoint the source. At this point the boy was sweating bullets, shaking like a leaf. A snapping sound of a twig erupted from behind and he lept back with a high-pitched scream. There lying in front of him was a flower, a daffodil to be exact. "Oh, a flower," He muttered, picking it up, "Pretty…"

Staring at its soft petals, he let out a gasp as an idea struck him suddenly. "I know, maybe Kaya will like it!" Looking around cautiously for whoever left it, he shrugged and dashed off the mansion, shouting about a mysterious, flower abandoning stranger.

* * *

Wise, honey brown eyes watched them through a screen, letting out a soft chuckle. "Just you wait, all of you…" They whispered, voice low and soft, "The journey is just about to begin, and I think it's going to be a little bit different this time around."


	2. Chapter I: Dead Bones Brook

_**Here we are, chapter two featuring Brook 3 My favourite Straw Hat! sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long, homework is a bitch :P But here we go, please enjoy -SweetNeroliRavioli**_

* * *

 **Florian Triangle, approx. 4.5 years before the Straw Hats' arrival...**

How long had it been since then? Days? Months? Years? He wouldn't have doubted it. Letting out another lonely hum, "Dead Bones" Brook swung his cane in time with each of his steps, a cup of tea held delicately within his boney grasp.

"Yohohoho~ Yohohoho ho~

Yohohoho~ Yohohoho ho~"

He sung, taking a seat on a barrel near the railing. As usual, nothing but murky water, dense fog, and the occasional ghost ship. What he wouldn't give just to go back, even for a minute. He had so many things to tell them, but most of all, that he was sorry.

"Yohohoho~ Yohohoho ho~

Yohohoho~ Yohohoho ho~"

And Laboon, poor, poor Laboon. Just the thought of his dear friend made his heart ache (though being nothing but bones, he didn't have one, yohohoho). Had he been waiting all this time? Waiting for the sight of the Rumbar Pirates' jolly roger to come over that mountain, a sight that he would never see for the remainder of his long life?

"Gather up all the crew,

Time to ship out Bink's brew,

Sea wind blows to where,

Who knows?

The waves will be our guide~"

Sipping his tea, Brook let out a heavy sigh. How he desperately wanted to see him, though now he couldn't, even if he did manage to fix the broken rudder, thanks to that shadow thieving Moria. So here he was, stuck drifting in the middle of haunted waters, with nothing but his bones, soul, and memories long past. God, how he wanted to die.

"O'er across the ocean's tide,

The sunset is goin' wild,

See the sky! The birds singing in circles passing by~"

' _Don't be stupid,'_ He thought to himself, ' _Who would be left to give the tone dial to Laboon?'_ Ah yes, the Rumbar's last concert, their best and...final...performance, dedicated to the little whale that had brought them so much joy over the years. Setting down his cup on the railing, Brook let out a weak sigh, hands covering his eyes (or should he say, _eye sockets_ , yohohoho). ' _I miss you…'_ He thought, practically hearing the sound of laughter and music all around him, ' _All of you…'_

"Bid farewell to weaver's town!

Say so long to port renowned!

Sing a song, it won't be long, before we're casting off!

Cross the gold and silver waves

Changin' into water sprays~

Sailing out on our journey,

To the ends of...ends of...ends…"

He choked, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, shoulders shaking with sobs. The loneliness had finally gotten to him and he slumped over, nearly knocking his teacup overboard. ' _Finish it,'_ He willed himself, ' _Finish it!'_ Letting his jaw open and close a few times, he finally gave into the fact that there would be no words coming from his non-existent throat. It was too much. Much too much for him to handle anymore. He may as well throw himself overboard and get it over with, then at the least he could see his crew once again.

It would be so easy…just one leg over the railing and…

" _To the ends of the sea~"_

Letting out an unmanly shriek, Brook tumbled backwards, spread eagle upon the deck. Jumping up from his position, he scooted behind his barrel and held his cane in front of him defensively. ' _W-was th-that a-a-a g-ghost?'_ He thought, ' _Oh please don't be a ghost, oh please oh please_ _ **don't be a ghost**_ _.'_

" _Gather up all the crew!_

 _Time to ship out Bink's brew!_

 _Pirates we, we'll divide and conquer all the seas~_

 _With the waves to rest our heads,_

 _The ship beneath us as our bed!_

 _Hoisted high up on the mast our jolly roger flies~"_

Brook cowered as he heard footsteps echo all around, creaking under the supposed weight. Brook didn't even bother to unsheathe his sword, seeing as the blade would only pass straight through the spectre. Where was his salt when he needed it!? Gathering his courage, Brook leaned over to peek out from behind his hiding spot, feeling his breath hitch in his throat at the eerie sight.

There, sitting on the railing was, without a doubt, a ghost. A human ghost, from the looks of it. Its face was obscured by shadows but his could make out the wild, fluffy hair and the smile on its lips. He didn't recognize them, so it couldn't have been one of his crewmates (much to his relief and disappointment) and it didn't seem to be dangerous. Perhaps a lonely soul who heard his song and took the opportunity for a duet, perhaps?

' _Don't be stupid Brook,'_ He reprimanded himself, huddling back behind the barrel, ' _It's just waiting for you to let your guard down and then BAM! Poultrigeist!'_

" _Somewhere in the endless sky,_

 _A storm has started comin' by!_

 _Waves are dancing, having fun,_

 _Time to sound the drums..."_

It paused, waiting. Brook knew what it wanted, but he didn't think was prepared to give it to them. After all, it could be just a strategy to lure him out for it to just turn around and suck out his soul. After what seemed like forever of painful, eerie silence, he heard the rustling of cloth and a small 'clink'. That's when things seemed to take an interesting turn.

A note, high and clear, rang out throughout the world, followed by a series of more complicated ones. He recognized the sound, the realization causing him to blink in surprise. Was that an...ocarina? Quite the eccentric choice, if he did say so himself. The were quite an old fashioned and unpopular choice, even in his time, and not everyone was willing to master its music in favour of more flashy and modern instruments. Soon the notes melded into chords and Brook instantly recognized its tune, why that of Bink's Brew! ' _Must be at least a twelve hole,'_ He thought, fingers twitching to join in with his violin, ' _An eight hole couldn't manage chords as complex as this.'_

Braving another peek at the phantom, Brook watched as it rocked to the beat of the song, fingers move with dexterity and practice. He stayed like that, listening watching, as the spirit let its music drift out into the open sea. Finishing off the final notes of the song, it stood up, balancing on the railing with its ocarina still in its mouth, taking a breath through its nose before belting out an unfamiliar melody.

It was upbeat, fast, and held an air of mischievousness to it. Brook's finger twitched, the urge to join in growing stronger and stronger by the minute, especially at the sound of a song he had never heard before. ' _I…'_ He thought to himself, crawling out from his hiding spot and towards where his violin case rested, ' _I suppose it wouldn't hurt to join in for just one song…'_ He knew it knew he was behind it, but it still continued to play, fast and sweet, while he got ready.

Drawing his bow over his strings, the spirit suddenly stopped and turned to face him, causing him to let out a small 'eep' eyes wide with terror. The spirit smiled, bringing its instrument back to its lips, before producing six notes in rapid succession. Brook was still frozen in fright, so lifting its face up, giving him a good view of its patient, deliberate gaze, it repeated the same six notes a little more slowly.

' _It's…trying to teach me?'_ He blinked, looking down at his bow. Inhaling a deep, calming breath, he placed his fingers over the strings and repeated the six notes to the best of his ability. The spirit bobbed in approval before repeating them again and again, Brook following its lead. This continued until it was sure Brook had mastered this skill before moving onto a series of more complicated notes.

Brook followed diligently, wincing every time he hit a wrong note, but the spectre was a patient and excellent teacher, sometime repeating a singular note until he hit just the right one on his violin. Not that it took long, with a musician as skilled as him of course, yohohoho. When they were done they nodded and took the ocarina from their lips, giving him a proud smile. After a while of standing comfortable silence, they opened their mouth and stated; "Saria's Song."

' _Ah, the name.'_ Brook thought, committing it to memory, along with all the other melodies he had learnt over the years. The spirit then lifted the ocarina once again to their lips, catching his attention. Just as he was about to ask why, they grinned, childish and playful, their eyes becoming bright and lively once again opening their mouth to speak.

"Play with me." They beamed, the now familiar chords flowing into the air. Brook didn't hesitate to follow, the sounds of the violin and ocarina harmonizing and blending together to create a sound that he had missed, a sound no musician could replicate on their own. His teacher swayed to the beat, eyes closed and foot tapping, and Brook caught himself worrying that would fall into the sea, though that was ridiculous, seeing as they were a ghost.

When they finished the duet, they opened their eyes once more and bounced on the rail, the wood creaking from their weight (Brook was beginning to wonder if they really were a spectre at this point, his heart pounding at the possibility that maybe…they weren't), pride radiating off of them in waves. Leaning forward in a low bow, they looked up at him with gratitude.

"Thanks for playing with me," They smiled, "Let's do it again sometime." Brook finds himself returning the smile, gently lowering his bow and relaxing his shoulders. "Yes," He replied with sincerity, "Let's…" With that the spirit jumps from the ship, disappearing from sight. Startled, Brook runs over to the railing peering into the sea. Not a bubble, ripple, or splash in sight. ' _Hmm, I guess they really were a ghost...I hope I can see them again, I never did finish that duet of Bink's Brew with them, did I?'_ He thought, letting out a small, genuine laugh.

Because for the first time in years, he didn't feel so lonely.


End file.
